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Overmind
Zerg Swarm (?—2500) |job= Master of the Zerg Swarm (?—2500) |family=*Xel'naga (creators) |voice=Jack Ritschel (StarCraft), Paul Eiding (StarCraft II)Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Credits. (in English). 2010. |concattop=x }} The Overmind, or known in the prophecy as the Great Hungerer, was the leader of the Zerg Swarm. Biography Creation The Overmind was a millennia-old brain-like entity. It was created by the xel'naga on Zerus to bring order to the zerg and guide them into merging with the protoss. At first it was only a semi-sentient entity created from the instincts and collective sentience of the zerg, but it quickly developed intellect and personality.Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. The Overmind was created with intelligence and the ability to reason, but its free will was undermined by an overriding directive to destroy the protoss.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Echoes of the Future (in English). 2010-07-27. This was part of a greater plan by Amon to remould creation in his own image.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, In Utter Darkness (in English). 2010-07-27. The Overmind learned of Amon's plan through scattered and confused images, which the Overmind ultimately formed into a more coherent narrative.Blizzard Entertainment. 2013-01-07. StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A - Part 11. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-01-07. The Overmind disagreed with its directive because it knew the zerg would be destroyed once the protoss were, but could do little to resist. The Overmind was not an automaton, and had broad latitudes in its thinking. However, "iron-clad" compulsions prevented it from considering rebellion. The Overmind used "cracks" in these controls to support the goals of the zerg over Amon's.Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-10-22. StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A - Part 3. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-10-22. Development and Rebellion The Overmind did not directly relay orders to its minions. As new species were added to the Swarm, it began to relay orders telepathically through cerebrates, giant versions of the larvae. Direct orders were relayed through overlords. Over a matter of centuries, the zerg consumed or eradicated Zerus's biosphere. The Overmind knew that if it were to extend the Swarm, it would have to depart the world. The arrival of behemoths in the Zerus system provided the opportunity the Overmind sought—lured to Zerus, the creatures were assimilated into the Swarm, allowing the zerg to survive in space. As the Overmind extended its senses into space, it detected the xel'naga worldships in orbit. Cutting off its psionic link to the xel'naga, it prevented them from knowing what it was doing. It then commenced its attack, catching the xel'naga completely off guard. Within a matter of hours, the zerg overran their defenses and laid waste to the xel'naga fleet. The Overmind absorbed thousands of xel'naga into itself, gaining their knowledge and insights and causing it to grow much more powerful. It learned the secrets of the sacred khaydarin crystals, and began to incorporate the energies of these crystals into its own. Through the knowledge gained from the xel'naga, the Overmind was able to increase the level of sentience in many of the higher zerg strains, while still keeping them fully under its control. The Overmind dissected the memories of the xel'naga experiments with the protoss. The zerg then devoted their energies to seeking out the powerful protoss in the hope of absorbing them into the Swarm, uniting purity of form and purity of essence,Overmind: "Now shall the events set into motion so long ago be made complete. For the Protoss, too, were created by the Xel'Naga. They were the first creation, gifted with a purity of form. And we were the second creation, blessed with a purity of essence. Indeed, our two species are but opposite facets of a greater whole. Soon shall our two races be made as one." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Full Circle (in English). 1998. to create a totally "perfect" being.Overmind: "My children, the hour of our victory is at hand. For upon this world of Aiur shall we incorporate the strongest known species into our fold. Then shall we be the greatest of creation's children. We shall be... "Perfect." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: The Invasion of Aiur (in English). 1998. Hunting Humanity The Swarm traveled in the direction of the protoss homeworld. As they traveled, the zerg wreaked havoc upon the galaxy, destroying or assimilating countless numbers of species it encountered and laid hundreds of planets into smoking ruin. As the Swarm added ever new strains to its formidable army, the Overmind was uneasy. The protoss possessed formidable psionic powers, an advantage the zerg could not offset. It sought a way to counter the great might of the protoss psionics, but found no answer among the strains it devoured. All changed when one of its deep-space probes encountered humanity, a frail race that lived under the very shadow of the protoss. Humanity had a great psionic potential and the Overmind ordered the assimilation of the terran worlds to gain the ability to fight the protoss on its own terms. It took the Overmind sixty years to reach the series of worlds inhabited by the terrans, sending out a scouting brood to determine the locations of their worlds. The Overmind subtly infected the terran world of Chau Sara with spores as a prelude to invasion. The zerg infested or killed most of the populace and had sent minions to other terran worlds by the time the protoss discovered what had happened and responded. The Overmind, anxious to learn all it could about the protoss, held its minions back and let the protoss hamper the initial infestation process. The protoss destroyed all life on the surface of Chau Sara. The decisive action of the protoss pleased the Overmind, which marveled at how the protoss could bring about such devastation. The Overmind pulled its forces back to see how humanity and the protoss would react next. Arcturus Mengsk sought to use the zerg as a weapon of war against the Terran Confederacy.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Big Push (in English). 1998. To this end he acquired psi emitters, a device which amplifies the powers of a telepath, enabling them to attract zerg from a considerable distance.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Trump Card (in English). 1998. Agent of the Swarm The zerg had not yet reached Tarsonis, capital world of the Confederacy, when they were drawn there by the emitters. The protoss arrived, intending to destroy all life on Tarsonis, but Mengsk had his own plans. His Sons of Korhal, under the leadership of the increasingly politically unreliable ghost Sarah Kerrigan, would attack the protoss, preventing them from destroying the zerg. In turn, the zerg would destroy the Confederacy. The plan was successful, but Mengsk abandoned Kerrigan to the zerg.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: New Gettysburg (in English). 1998. Kerrigan was not killed by the zerg, only captured and infested.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Agent of the Swarm (in English). 1998. In Kerrigan, the Overmind finally found a weapon to combat the protoss. More importantly, though, it had found a way to free itself and the zerg from the insidious influence it had fallen under on Zerus. The Overmind had no concern over the other races, and was only trying to save the zerg. The Overmind created a new cerebrate with only one purpose in mind; to protect the chrysalis which now held the captive Kerrigan.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Among the Ruins (in English). 1998. The Overmind told the cerebrate that as long as the chrysalis and the creature inside survived, the cerebrate would also continue to live. The Overmind moved the chrysalis and the rest of the Swarm to Char,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Egression (in English). 1998. whose remote location and convoluted terrain would protect it from its enemies.(1998-06-05). Eruption. StarCraft Compendium Map Archives. Retrieved April 12, 2007. The sleeping Kerrigan produced powerful psionic emanations, drawing the attention of such enemies as the Terran DominionBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The New Dominion (in English). 1998. and Raynor's Raiders. Kerrigan also drew the attention of Dark Prelate Zeratul to Char,Tassadar: "A powerful psionic call drew my attention to a remote, barren world named Char. Apparently, the call was answered by others as well. For upon Char, I encountered those who were once our brethren - the Dark Templar." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Into the Flames (in English). 1998. who were able to initially hide their presence from the zerg.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Dark Templar (in English). 1998. Kerrigan, now the Queen of Blades, emerged from her chrysalis during an attack by Raynor's Raiders. The Overmind referred to her as "the undoing" of its enemies and ordered the deaths of all the invading terrans. However, Kerrigan allowed Raynor to leave with his life. Kerrigan's mind had been damaged by the Ghost Program during her training, and she wished to undo the damage and access her entire range of powers. She intended to raid the Amerigo to learn how to undo this damage.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Amerigo (in English). 1998. Zasz took issue with this plan, however, reminding her that she was just a servant, and that her wishes did not take precedence over the Overmind's mission. Kerrigan reacted badly to this pronouncement, but the Overmind allowed her to carry out her desire – while she had retained most of her spirit, she could not stray from the Overmind's will.Zasz: "Though you be the favored servant of the Overmind, you would do well to remember that you are just a servant. You know of our grand mission, Kerrigan. Would you put your personal whims before the will of the Overmind?" Sarah Kerrigan: "Do not cross me, Zasz. I will do as I see fit, and not you or any other Cerebrate shall stand in my way." Overmind: "Let her go, Zasz. The greatness of her spirit has been left to her; that the Swarms might benefit from her fierce example. Fear not her designs, for she is bound to me as intimately as any Cerebrate. Truly, no Zerg can stray from my will, for all that you are lies wholly within me. Kerrigan is free to do as she desires." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: The Amerigo (in English). 1998. A New Weapon Once she had expanded her mind, Kerrigan could detect the protoss who had been hiding on Char. Zeratul and High Templar Tassadar conspired to perform a "weapons test" against the zerg. They had discovered the purpose of the cerebrates and believed that only Dark Templar energy could permanently destroy one. Tassadar distracted Kerrigan while Zeratul slew Zasz. This created a psionic link between the Overmind and Zeratul. Each learned the other's secrets,Overmind: "Yet shall their overweening pride be their downfall. For when the assassin Zeratul murdered Zasz, his mind touched with mine, and all his secrets were made known to me. I have taken from his mind the secret location of Aiur, the Protoss Homeworld." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Eye for an Eye (in English). 1998.Tassadar: "Zeratul, perhaps the time has come to tell our friends of the foe we face." Zeratul: "Indeed. When I slew the Cerebrate on Char, I touched briefly with the essence of the Overmind. In that instant, my mind was filled with its thoughts, and I tell you now our worst fears have come true. The Zerg were indeed created by the ancient Xel'Naga, the same beings that empowered us in our infancy. But the Overmind grew beyond their constraints, and has at last come to finish the experiments they began so long ago." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Shadow Hunters (in English). 1998. but the Overmind's mental defenses kept Zeratul from learning everything.Dustin Browder, StarCraft Legacy staff. 2013-01-22. January 17 Dustin Browder Interview. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2013-01-22. The shock of permanently losing a cerebrate threw the Overmind into a state of mental shock.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Culling (in English). 1998. It did not emerge until the remnants of the Garm Brood had been destroyed.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Eye for an Eye (in English). 1998. Upon reaching Aiur, the Overmind told its new cerebrate the purpose of the invasion: it intended to assimilate the protoss thus making the Swarm "perfect". In order to accomplish this task, the Overmind had to be "made manifest" on Aiur, and it needed the khaydarin crystals to do so. The Swarm acquired a crystal for the Overmind.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Invasion of Aiur (in English). 1998. The Overmind ordered its forces to clear the hallowed ground upon which stood the original protoss temple on Aiur (site of where the xel'naga first set foot on Aiur)Overmind: "Behold, there is a temple, not far from here, that lies upon ground most hallowed. Though I have born witness to the passing of countless millennia, the temple which you must assault is older by far. For it was constructed by my creators, the Xel'Naga, and it marks the site where the Xel'Naga first set foot upon Aiur." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Full Circle (in English). 1998. and place the khaydarin crystal in its place. Only there could it be made manifest. The crystal was placed,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Full Circle (in English). 1998. after which the Overmind dove upon Aiur like a bomb and implanted itself on the surface.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: The Invasion of Aiur. (in English). 1998. The Fall The protoss response coalesced following a short-lived civil war. Tassadar, with Dark Templar led by Zeratul, and Raynor's Raiders, made the final assault. Praetor Fenix and Zeratul staged a preliminary assault by permanently killing two cerebrates.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Shadow Hunters (in English). 1998. With the defenses weakened, the allies struck directly at the Overmind, but only managed to destroy the Overmind's outer shell at the cost of heavy casualties.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Eye of the Storm (in English). 1998. The Overmind prepared to escape through a warp rift and the attack verged on failure. Tassadar channeled the energies of the Khala and the Void into a gigantic ball of energy that destroyed the OvermindBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: The Death of the Overmind. (in English). 1998. and his physical self. Some of the corpse was sucked into the closing rift. Some of Tassadar's higher psionic functions merged with those of the dying Overmind. This rendered any future manifestations of Tassadar unclear.Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-12-03. StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A - Part 7. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-12-03. For many years afterwards, the gigantic rotting corpse remained a site of zerg activity, with creatures both feeding on and defending it. Zeratul's Visit On the eve of the Second Great War, Zeratul returned to Aiur to extract its memories, first from the Overmind's tendrils, and later from its cortex. The dark templar sought information to clarify a prophecy he found on Ulaan. When he tried to commune with the cortex he was met by Tassadar's spirit who not only revealed an apocalyptic vision of the future, but also explained the Overmind's motivations during the Great War and its interest in Kerrigan. The Overmind stated that Kerrigan was the key to save the universe from Amon. The End War During the End War, Amon corrupted the Khala and took control of Aiur along with the Golden Armada. His forces constructed machinery to create his hybrid host body around the Overmind's corpse, using the Overmind's dead flesh during the creation of the host body while also absorbing void energy from it. Void shards were placed around the site to drain life from Amon's zerg defenders to further aid in the body's creation. Artanis and the unified protoss took up assault positions around the Overmind's corpse, and an orbital bombardment obliterated Amon's host body shortly after it awoke.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: The Host (in English). 2013-03-12. Game Unit StarCraft The Overmind exists as an immobile structure in the last mission of StarCraft. In-game, if the Overmind is destroyed, appears on its place an unselectable unshelled Overmind that lasts for approximately 5 seconds. StarCraft II In StarCraft II, the Overmind's portrait is available as a player profile.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010 There are two Overmind models within the game—an alive (a structure) and a dead Overmind (a doodad). The tendrils are a separate structure.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II Map Editor. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010 During the "Echoes of the Future" mission, Zeratul visits the dead one, and after the mission is concluded, the alive one appears on a flashback in the ending cinematic. Development The corpse of the Overmind seen in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the largest zerg structure created by the design team. It underwent a redesign from its appearance in the previous game, the rationale being that it was to feature the most distinct SC1 features while allowing enough areas for the textures to be shown off and compared to the new zerg buildings. The giant eyeball was another liberty taken with the new art. The thought was it seemed more responsive and alive than a giant exposed brain.2011, SC2: Zerg Overmind. Deviantart, accessed on 2011-07-01 Other '' concept art]] Concept art of what appears to be a deceased Overmind exists for StarCraft: Ghost.2015-02-03, The Art of StarCraft: Ghost. YouTube, accessed on 2015-02-04 The Overmind's remains appear as a contestable territory in RISK: StarCraft.(October 10, 2012). RISK: StarCraft. USAopoly. The Overmind served as the basis for Abathur's appearance in Heroes of the Storm, namely the idea of an immobile hero with global powers.2014-05-04, Hero Suggestion Overmind. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-05-04 Powers of the Overmind It was biologically impossible for the zerg to oppose the Overmind's directives. Although the Overmind was technically a living being, it was really a bodiless entity that embodied the whole will of the zerg species. It was also capable of opening warp rifts for transport of itself and its broods.Blizzard Entertainment. 2013-01-15. StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A - Part 12. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-01-15. The Overmind also created Abathur.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Abathur (in English). 2013-03-12. The Overmind was capable of seeing the future, although this was based mainly around it seeing some of Amon's plans when they were in contact. The Overmind could only be killed by Void energies. Tassadar channeled these energies through the hull of the Gantrithor in order to slay it. Notes *Alongside the Queen of Blades, the Overmind was voted by PC World as #8 of the top 47 "most diabolical videogame villains of all time."PC World: The Top 47 Most Diabolical Videogame Villains of All Time. Accessed on 2008-02-04 *The concept of the Overmind and its hivemind control was examined in The Real Science of StarCraft II. It was concluded that it was a reasonable concept, as similar behavior has been observed in Earth insects.Groen, Andrew. The Real Science of StarCraft II. (July 26, 2010). Gamepro. The Real Science of StarCraft II Accessed 2010-12-09 References }} Category:Zerg characters Category:Zerg characters in the StarCraft and Brood War manuals Category:Zerg characters in StarCraft and Brood War Category:Zerg breeds Category:StarCraft Zerg Special Buildings Category:Zerg characters of Queen of Blades